A Twist of Fate
by XReaderBuddyz
Summary: NatsuxReader On the run again from the Council, you and your guild end up in Magnolia, home to one of the strongest wizard guilds. But when you take a stroll through town, your fate gets twisted around dramatically.
1. Chapter 1

You couldn't believe what you were doing anymore. Ever since the other day, your world has been turned upside down, all thanks to that pink-haired dragon boy.

It had been just another normal day at your guild; you were sitting with one of your "friends," Angelina, playing poker with magic items instead of poker chips. The two of you had developed this strange tradition of playing poker on the first Monday morning of each month, and waging the items that you had acquired during your missions.

Angelina, being the cheater she was, had won yet another celestial magic key off of you. (They were just common-place keys, thankfully.) That's when it all happened. Precy, one of your guild's more "savvy workers," burst through the doors, covered in scratches and bruises, panting like he had never breathed before that moment.

Everyone sat silently staring at him, waiting as he tried to get enough air so he could say something. Finally he managed one word. The one word that always caused mass hysteria in your guild. "...Council..." he gasped as he fell onto the wooden floor in exhaustion. Everyone scrambled like mice.

That's right. You were a part of a dark guild. In fact, you'd been there for as long as you could remember. When you were young, your family had been killed in a house fire while you were across town. You needed money to care for yourself, so without even thinking things through, you joined the dark guild right outside of town. The jobs paid well, the people were interesting, and you spent most of your time there. Before you knew it, it was your 17th birthday. The seventh anniversary of your family's death.

This had been the 4th time in the last month that your guild had to relocate itself due to the Council. You sighed as you felt the wood seat below you quivering, everyone scurrying around, clinging to solid objects as the entire guild shook. And suddenly in a flash, it stopped, and everything outside of the windows had changed from the empty forest to the outskirts of a large town. You stared outside in frustration, trying to remember this town. It seemed so familiar, but you didn't know why.

Your guild members sighed in relief as they returned to their original spots. "Good thing Master can use that teleportation magic, huh?" Angelina giggled as she sat down next to you, crossing her bare legs.

"I guess," you sigh, propping your head up on your hand.

"Oh come on, it's a new town. There have got to be some hot boys around here! Why don't you go do a little... exploring?" she winked.

"You're such a freak," you smirk, standing up. "Alright, I'm headed to town," you announce to no one in particular as you march outside.

***

"400 jewels for a freakin' bowl of ramen?! What kind of nonsense is that?! You aren't getting any business out of me, that's for sure!" You shouted as you marched away from the fancy ramen stand you found near the town square. Usually you were a very "chill" person (as Angelina put it), but for some reason you were NOT in a good mood that day.

You wandered around for a little while, glancing around at all the happy people. Some of them seemed to notice your guild mark on your (b/p), and you overheard some words thrown around; "...challengers...different...weird...fairy..."

Fairy was a word you heard mentioned a lot as you walked through town. "What's so special about fairies?" you ask yourself as you walk, putting your hands behind your head.

"Is that a challenge?" a crackled voice said from right behind, making you fly up into the air. Literally. This was due to one of your favorite magic items, rocket shoes. They were controlled by the wearer's mind, although, they did seem to like to start up when you were startled, which you hate to admit happened relatively often.

Spinning around in the air, down on the ground stood a strange pink-haired boy. He gave you a quizzical look, tilting his head to the side and crossing his bare arms over his exposed chest. He then called up to you, "Oi! I'm not that scary, am I?"

"No no!" you wave your arms back and forth, shaking your head as you land back down on the ground. "You just… startled me is all…"

"Well obviously," he smirked. "You jumped higher than Lucy does when she finds me somewhere in her house!" the strange boy started laughing at his own joke.

"Um… yeah…" you said, awkwardly laughing with him. If this guy was crazy, you didn't want to make him upset with you.

"So you don't like Fairy Tail, eh?" the spiky-top boy said, his laughter abruptly stopping. He looked you dead in the eye, seeming suddenly very serious. Yep, he was definitely crazy.

"Fairy Tail? Is that what all the fairy talk is around this place?" you raise your eyebrow.

"Of course!" the boy shouts, "Fairy Tail is the strongest, coolest, and greatest guild in all of Fiore!"

You felt your eyes go wide with shock. There was a wizard guild here? A strong one? You had to warn everyone. There was no doubt in your mind that you would get reported and captured by the Council. "Oh… ok… well um thanks for talking to me. I'll just be go-"

"Wanna come check it out?!" he suddenly shouted, grabbing onto your wrist and quickly dragging you in the opposite direction.

"Wha?!" you shout in confusion as your brain attempts to catch up to you. Before you knew it, you were standing in front of a huge cement building that looked like a castle. Staring up, you noticed a banner with a symbol that looked somewhat like a fairy with a tail. Just like the symbol that was on the boy's shoulder. In front of you was the gate that read in huge letters, "FAIRY TAIL."


	2. Chapter 2

"Pretty cool, huh?" he grinned at you, his pointed teeth showing clearly. "This here is the greatest wizard guild ever!"

"Yeah… it's really cool…" you say in awestruck splendor as you take in the huge building.

"And that's only the outside!" he shouted in excitement, grabbing on to your wrist again as he slammed open the doors and ran inside, you in tow. "This is the main room!" he said, gesturing around the hall. "That girl behind the counter there is Mirajane! She's the most famous of all the wizards here."

Looking at the girl, she didn't seem like much of a fighter. But then again, that's what a lot of people thought about you.

Pulling you from your short thoughts, the pink haired boy dragged you over to a table on the other side of the room. "Hey Natsu!" a blonde called as the two of you walked over. Looking at the group, you noticed a deep red-head that seemed familiar, but you couldn't put your finger on it. Along with those two girls sat a shirtless boy and a blue cat. You consciously hugged yourself, covering your (b/p), where your guild symbol was at. "Who's your friend?"

"Oh this is…" he began, but stopped and looked at you blankly. Finally he turned back to the group. "I don't know her name."

Everyone immediately slapped their forehead in frustration.

"Natsu, you idiot! You bring a girl in here and start showing her around, and you don't even know her name! But I guess it's to be expected from a hot-head like you," the shirtless boy laughed. _Oh, his name is Natsu. _

"You wanna say that again, stripper?" Natsu growled, slamming his forehead against the other boy. You stared in pure confusion as the two quickly broke out into a brawl.

"Should we separate them?" you ask the two girls and the cat.

"Don't worry about it," the blonde waved her hand, "Natus and Gray fight all the time. Anyway, what's your name?"

"Um… it's (f/n)…" you say, feeling somewhat uncomfortable telling the "enemy" your name.

"It's very nice to meet you," the red head smiled, holding out her armored hand. "I'm Erza, and this is Lucy."

"Erza…? I've heard that name before…" you mumble.

Lucy laughs, somehow hearing your quiet voice. "She's Erza Scarlet, also known as 'Titania.'"

You froze in fear as the full brunt of your situation hit you. Titania was standing right in front of you. You were in a strong wizard guild. You were part of a dark guild. Shit.

"Hey lady, you alright?" the blue cat spoke up, walking across the table.

"Yeah… I'm fine," you nod, shaking away the fear. You couldn't let them see through you. "Wait a second… WHY ARE YOU TALKING?!"

"Oh, I'm an Exceed," he said, as if that completely explained the situation.

"That means nothing to me," you state bluntly.

"He is from another world where there are… cats… like him. They're all here now though."

"…oh… I guess that kinda makes sense…" you laugh awkwardly. You glance over at the two fighting boys on the other side of the room, making a huge racket. Suddenly from their little dust cloud of movement, a chair flies over and hits you square in the face. Falling on your back, you feel extremely dizzy.

"Oh my god, are you okay?!" Lucy shouts, kneeling on the ground next to you.

"God… what the HELL?!" you shout, sitting up as shadows flare around you. You immediately notice and calm yourself down as quickly as possible. "Yeah I'm fine."

"What was that?" Natsu asks as he walks up to you.

"That was a chair hitting me in the head, knocking me over."

"No, the shadows. Everyone's shadow went all weird."

"I wasn't sure if I was crazy or not, but I saw it too," Gray added as he walked over.

_Crapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrap._ "I… uh…" you rub your head as you search for some words; ANY words.

"Wait, are you a wizard?" Lucy asked.

You sigh, "Yes. I'm a wizard."

"Whoa! Seriously?" Nastu shouted, sounding excited.

"I'm surprised you didn't already figure it out. I mean, you already saw me with my rocket shoes," you laugh at the pink-haired boy as his expression goes from excitement to annoyance.

"What kind of magic do you use?" Gray crossed his arms over his bare chest.

"Oh, I uh… just like to collect cool magic items," you laugh awkwardly.

"That still doesn't explain the shadows…" Erza said in a somewhat intimidating voice as she crouched down next to you.

You felt yourself start to sweat. You couldn't let them figure out that you were from a dark guild. You couldn't let them figure out that the very dark guild was right outside of town. "I…I…" you begin to stutter.

"Hey, are you alright?" Lucy asked suddenly. "You don't look so good."

"Wh…what?" you ask, suddenly noticing that you really weren't feeling very good.

"Hang on," Natsu said, grabbing the back of your neck and pulling you towards him. He places his forehead to yours as he check for a temperature.

After a moment, you noticed just how close he was, and feel your face go bright red and your pulse quicken slightly. Natsu stays there for what feels like an eternity, when he finally pulls away. "Yeah, she definitely has a fever."

"I… no… I'm fine," you say, waving your hands back and forth as you shake your head. "I'm just going to head home and get some rest." _Yes, I can get out of here!_

"I'll walk you. I don't want you to pass out or anything," Natsu said, picking you up off the floor.

"WAH?!" you shout. "No no no! It's fine! Don't worry about it!"

"Where's your house at?" Natsu asks as he carries you outside.

"Please, just let go of me!" you shout, trying to wiggle out of his grip. "I'm fine!"

"No, you might get worse if you walk home yourself. Plus it's getting late," Natsu stated as he looked up at the sky.

"Just…" you continue to wiggle. "LET ME GO!" Suddenly, all the shadows shoot up off the ground and grab you, pulling you from Natsu's grip. They quickly drop you a good distance away as you start to run, praying he won't come after you.

"What the…?!" You hear Natsu shout behind you, and then you hear him start to run after you. "(name)! Wait up!"

"No!" you shout. Behind you, the shadows leap up again and create a solid wall, keeping Natsu from following you.

"What the hell?!" You hear Natsu shout again, much further away this time.

Relief washes over you as you finally slow your run to a walk, panting heavily. "Thank god," you breathe. As you continue to walk, you start to feel your balance go. Everything around you starts to go foggy and dark, and you feel yourself hit the cobblestone road. _Shit._

As you start to fall out of consciousness, you hear the faint crackle of fire, and rushed footsteps come up to you. You feel strong arms wrap around you, and the last thing you hear is his voice mumbling; "Who the hell are you?"


	3. Chapter 3

Far away, the first thing you heard was the faint chatter of a crowd and the clinging of glasses. The first thing you felt was an icy sting on your forehead, followed by the soft touch of a blanket resting on top of you. You began to rise from the murky darkness of your slumber, but didn't open your eyes.

You started to listen intently to everything around you, and noticed the faint breathing of someone else in the room. You heard their quiet pacing footsteps that pause every few seconds, and start again. The steps continued in their little pattern until the door creaks open, making the steps pause.

"How is she?" you hear a girl say.

"She's still out cold..." a deeper, more comforting voice responds. It sounds worried, but you couldn't tell why in your half-awake state.

More footsteps enter the room, the new pair lighter than the other. Both approach you, and one sits down near your feet. "So she controls shadows, huh?" the girl says.

"Seems like it. I mean, I've never seen a wall of shadows before today, so..." the boy trails off.

The girl sighs in response.

You finally are awake, and the memories of the day come flooding back. You HAD to leave, but you didn't know how you could get away without anyone following you, especially with the physical state you were in. With a gulp, you slowly open your eyes to see the pink-haired boy standing right above you with a very serious look that quickly changed to a warm smile. It made your heart skip a beat, but you quickly remembered that soon he would probably hate you. You were an "enemy," after all.

"Hey! You're awake!" Natsu's smile grew to a toothy grin.

You sit up silently, laying the ice pack that was on your forehead onto your lap.

"You alright?" Lucy asked, tilting her head slightly.

You look at here for a moment, before you respond in almost a whisper, "...yeah..."

"So what was all of that about? Why are you so scared of me?" Natsu said suddenly, his smile gone as he leans in close to you.

"I'm not afraid of you," you state quietly, not daring to look him in the eye.

"Then why did you run?" he leans in a little more.

You don't know how to respond. Why DID you run?

"Geez Natsu, give the girl some space. She just woke up from fainting," Lucy interjected, thankfully. "I'm gonna go let everyone know that you're alright." You smile weakly in response.

The moment Lucy closed the door behind her, Natsu quickly turned to you. "Why did you run?" Natsu raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't run because I'm afraid of you..." you said again, quieter than the first time.

"I ran because... you'll be afraid of me..."

Natsu's eyes widened, and he laughs. "Why would I be afraid of you? Because you can control shadows? So what?"

"No..." you looked down at your hands, tightening your grip on the blanket as you pulled it a little closer to you. "That's not it..."

"Then what is it?" Natsu's confident laughter halted.

"I..." you sigh. "You won't be afraid of me... you'll hate me..."

"Why would I hate you?" he said, sitting down on the bed next to you.

"Because of the things I've done... and the choices I've made..." your voice cracks as you see tears fall onto the blanket.

"That means nothing to me," Natsu stated, putting a hand on your shoulder. "All I know is that you're here, and that you're a good person."

"How do you know that?! How do you know I'm a good person?! What if I've killed people? What if they were innocent people? What if I'm evil..." your tears turn to sobs as the shadows in the room flair, sporadic like a nest of bees. You fall onto Natsu's shoulder as your cries echo through the room. He doesn't say a word as he puts his arm around you, pulling you closer.

"I know because an evil person wouldn't regret those things. You know they were mistakes," he says, his voice comforting to you. "Mistakes are things that happen to everyone, big or small."

"But... I still did it..." you hiccup through your tears, grabbing onto the arm the was wrapped around you.

"So? I've done some things I'm not proud of. Everyone has," he says, slowly wrapping his other arm around you, pulling you a little closer.

You sit there for a while, neither of you saying a word as you let the tears flow out.

-

_The door to the guild burst open, and in walked a tall, menacing girl. She quickly scans the room as everyone stares at her.  
"Hey! I'm looking for a girl named (f/n)! Anybody seen her?"_

-

Finally, your tears slow, and you try to wipe away the remains. "I'm sorry..." you say as you stand up. You were ashamed of yourself. First of all, you told him everything you'd done. Second of all, you started crying.

"What are you sorry for?"

"Just...I need to leave..." you sniff.

"You expect me to let you leave with the state your in? And after all that?" Natsu stood and walked closer to you. "No way."

You looked up at him, the two of you watching each other's facial expressions. You didn't know how long you would have stood there if it wasn't for Lucy coming in.

"Hey (f/n), there's a girl here that's looking for you. She's kinda tall and scary looking," Lucy said, a bit worried.

"Oh... it's Angelina..." you sigh, leaving the room and looking down from the upper balcony at the impatient girl.

She quickly spotted you, and frowned, "Geez (f/n)! Where the hell have you been? I was starting to think you got yourself caught or killed."

"I'm fine," you say as you head down the stairs, Natsu right on your heels, and Lucy in tow.

"Who's she?" Natsu whispers, leaning over your shoulder.

"She's a... friend... I guess..." you whisper back.

"What do you mean you guess?" Natsu asked, taken aback by your comment. You knew he couldn't comprehend the idea of someone being a 'guessable friend.' You reach Angelina, and smile weakly at her.

"Have you been... crying?!" she says, noticing your red face.

"No," you quickly lie. "I have a bit of a fever."

"Well that's better than crying. Geez, I can't leave you alone without getting into trouble, can I?" Angelina put her hands on her hips.

"Can we just go?" you sigh. Angelina nods, and the two of you turn to leave. Or rather, you would have left, if it weren't for the strong hand that grabbed onto your shoulder.

You grab onto the hand, and regretfully pull it off.

You start to walk out the door into the cold night, only to see pink hair pop up in your peripheral vision.

"Will you just leave me alone?!" you shout, spinning towards the boy. You could see the hurt in his eyes.

"I told you I wouldn't let you leave like this," he said.

You felt a pinch in your stomach as he put both of his hands on your shoulders. "Natsu... I have to leave..."

"No!" he protested, tightening his grip on your shoulders.

You stare into his eyes, seeing a look that you'd never seen before. "I'm sorry..." you whisper, looking away as shadows shoot up, grabbing onto Natsu and pulling him away from you. "Let's go," you say to Angelina as you start to run.

You hear the fire crackle behind you, and then his quick footsteps. "Why are you running?!" he shouts, grabbing onto your hand, almost making you fall. You try to yank your hand from his grip, but he only tightens it.

"I'm... I'm..." you stutter, feeling tears pricking at your eyes. "I'm part of a dark guild, okay?!" you shout, revealing your hidden guild tattoo on your (b/p). "That's why I did all those things! That's why I'm an evil person!"

Natsu's face shifted dramatically from determination to disbelief. His grip on your hand loosened, and you quickly pull yourself from his grip, and start to run again.

This time, he didn't chase you.

***

"We need to move the guild again," you say as you reach the doors of your guild. You thought that after so much, it would feel like home. It didn't.

"Who was that guy?" Angelina raised an eyebrow.

"He's a wizard. That was a wizard guild we were just in. And now he knows we're a dark guild, so we need to move!" you shout, pointing in the direction of Fairy Tail.

"Oh crap," Angelina grabs her forehead in frustration. "I haven't even talked to any hot guys yet... fine, I'll go tell the Master."

You stood there, staring out the window, watching the stars in the sky, and the lights of the town flicker on and off. On light was move particularly fast, and getting closer.

You sigh. _If only I hadn't left this morning, maybe I wouldn't feel so horrible._

You keep your eye on the moving light, watching it get closer and closer. Your eyes widen in disbelief. It was Natsu. Within seconds, he had slammed the doors open, fire trailing behind him from using it as a speed boost. He looked around the guild, spotted you, and quickly embraced you. When your mind registered what had happened, you felt your face go red hot.

"I don't care if you're in a dark guild. You're a good person. That's all that matters," Natsu whispered, hugging you tighter.

You felt your heartbeat quicken as you tentatively returned the hug. "I thought you hated me now. Everybody hates me when they learn I'm in a dark guild..."

He pulled back, his hand resting on your shoulders. "Of course I don't hate you," he smiled, his hands sliding from your shoulders to your hands.

Suddenly, you felt the ground start to shake. You were teleporting. "SHIT! NATSU, YOU NEED TO GET OUT!"

Natsu was taken a bit aback, but tightened his grip on your hands, pulling you outside with him. The moment you were outside, you turned to see the guild was gone. And suddenly everything hit you at once.

Your guild was gone. You would likely never see them again. You didn't have to do horrible deeds to feed yourself anymore. Natsu had saved you. Natsu saw the good in you when no one else did. _You were free._

For the second time that night, tears poured from your eyes. But they were joyful tears. You embraced Natsu, laughing through your tears. "Thank you... Thank you!"

Natsu hugged you, pulling you close to him. Suddenly, you felt an odd sensation on your (b/p) where your guild mark was. You look, seeing it slowly fading away. You smile grew, and you looked at Natsu, who was smiling warmly at you. You couldn't help yourself. You leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. You were so happy. You were finally free.

"Thank you," you smiled.

Then Natsu did something that surprised you. He kissed you. It was just a quick peck on the lips, but you still felt your stomach flip over. You knew your face was turning red.

"Hey, I think that Gramps would be happy to take you in as a part of Fairy Tail," he grinned.

"That would be great," you laughed, leaning in and kissing him.

The two of you smiled, and started to walk back to Fairy Tail, hand in hand.

As you enter the town, Natsu smiled at you, "You know, I'm glad I ran into you this morning."

"Yeah, me too... what a crazy twist of fate..." you smile, looking up at the starry night sky as you tighten your grip on Natsu's warm hand.


End file.
